This aspect of Film studies will not be taught as a single unit but rather spread out and incorporated to some degree in every unit throughout the course.
Essential Understanding: Film, as a revolutionary new art form, changed the way humanity perceived the world. It was a major technological, social, and cultural achievement that affected all aspects of human existence from simple weekend escapism to rallying citizens to war.
Film History and Theory
By the end of this unit you should know:
Who the pioneers and key figures film history are and why they are important.
The different eras of film. What tradition is it in? French film noir, American gangster film, Bollywood musical?
The concept of intertextuality.
The concept of semiotics.
The concept of a target audience: for whom was this film made? How does it address its audience? What is the nature of our engagement with the film?
How outside influences in terms of finance, ownership, institution and sociocultural context affect the production of the film.
Connection of certain films to other films.
The most important question to ask after discussing each of these questions is: “How did you know?” This leads students of film to expect that they must carefully justify all their arguments and be able to explain their own thought processes. The question of how we know what we know is a central question of theory of knowledge.
What is theory? Theory is a system of trying to understand and explain things from a specific point of view. Theory is meant to enhance our understanding and appreciation of the film text. Theory encourages debate about meaning. It provides another degree of interpretation.
1. Auteur Theory
2. Genre Theory
3. Formalism
4. Structuralism and Post Structuralism
5. Marxism
6. Realism
7. Postmodernism
8. Psychoanalysis
9. Feminism
10. Masculinity
11. Queer Theory
12. Audience Research and Reception
13. Stars
14. Race and ethnicity
15. Post-colonial and transnational cinemas
Intertextuality
Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text. Intertextuality creates an interrelationship between texts. These references are made to influence that audience and add layers of depth to a text, based on the audiences’ prior knowledge and understanding. Intertextuality is a literary discourse strategy utilized by writers in novels, poetry, theatre and even in non-written texts (such as performances, digital media, and film).
Intertextuality / The Smallest Element
The Smallest Element- The Shot
We know that reading an image (RTI) is based on understanding the signs and symbols of an image (the semiotics) and placing those signals into context. The Smallest Element plays with the idea of what happens to a reading when the context is changed or shifted.
Below there are eleven images. The original image is a still from the film Breaking the Waves (von Trier 1996). The first eleven images have been altered. Each image presents an idea, a possible story/scenario. The last image is exactly as the director, von Trier, intended it to be. The point of this exercise is to understand how our understanding changes based on the information given to us.
TASK - Read Each Image
1. After you have looked at each image write a sentence stating what you think the image is communicating.
2. Note how the 'story' changes for you as the image changes.
3. Try to identify why and how your understanding changed as the context of the image changed.
TOK CONNECTION To what extent is context necessary to understanding?
Film Theory
6 weeks: 24 hoursThis aspect of Film studies will not be taught as a single unit but rather spread out and incorporated to some degree in every unit throughout the course.
Essential Understanding: Film, as a revolutionary new art form, changed the way humanity perceived the world. It was a major technological, social, and cultural achievement that affected all aspects of human existence from simple weekend escapism to rallying citizens to war.
Film History and Theory
By the end of this unit you should know:The most important question to ask after discussing each of these questions is: “How did you know?” This leads students of film to expect that they must carefully justify all their arguments and be able to explain their own thought processes. The question of how we know what we know is a central question of theory of knowledge.
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Film Terms Cheat Sheet: Know and use these terms
List of Important Film Theories and Theorists
Film Theory
What is theory? Theory is a system of trying to understand and explain things from a specific point of view. Theory is meant to enhance our understanding and appreciation of the film text. Theory encourages debate about meaning. It provides another degree of interpretation.
1. Auteur Theory
2. Genre Theory
3. Formalism
4. Structuralism and Post Structuralism
5. Marxism
6. Realism
7. Postmodernism
8. Psychoanalysis
9. Feminism
10. Masculinity
11. Queer Theory
12. Audience Research and Reception
13. Stars
14. Race and ethnicity
15. Post-colonial and transnational cinemas
Intertextuality
Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text. Intertextuality creates an interrelationship between texts. These references are made to influence that audience and add layers of depth to a text, based on the audiences’ prior knowledge and understanding. Intertextuality is a literary discourse strategy utilized by writers in novels, poetry, theatre and even in non-written texts (such as performances, digital media, and film).We know that reading an image (RTI) is based on understanding the signs and symbols of an image (the semiotics) and placing those signals into context.
The Smallest Element plays with the idea of what happens to a reading when the context is changed or shifted.
Below there are eleven images. The original image is a still from the film Breaking the Waves (von Trier 1996). The first eleven images have been altered. Each image presents an idea, a possible story/scenario. The last image is exactly as the director, von Trier, intended it to be.
The point of this exercise is to understand how our understanding changes based on the information given to us.
TASK - Read Each Image
1. After you have looked at each image write a sentence stating what you think the image is communicating.
2. Note how the 'story' changes for you as the image changes.
3. Try to identify why and how your understanding changed as the context of the image changed.
TOK CONNECTION
To what extent is context necessary to understanding?
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